Highway Traffic Ups Asthma Risk

Children living near roadways with high-volume
traffic are more prone to develop
asthma, compared with other children. A
study showed that children living within 82
yd of a major roadway had a 50% higher
risk of experiencing asthma symptoms during
the previous year, compared with children
who lived >328 yd from a highway.

"The next step will be to verify these
results with actual measurements of pollution
around the homes near and distant
from major roads, and to see if children
who live in areas with heavy traffic develop
asthma as we follow them," said lead
author Rob McConnell, MD. (The findings
were reported during the American Thoracic
Society International Conference,
May 23, 2005.)